It's Thursday

Two more days of work. Two more days. It's a mantra I have to keep chanting to keep me sane through these long, eight-hour work days. Don't get me wrong - I love my day job. But I'd really, really like to start working part-time. Three days a week would be great. Heck, I'd even go four days a week and leave that one day open to work exclusively on my novel or other writing projects.

But alas, that's not in the cards right now. It's a goal I'm working toward, though.

I figured out what was wrong in regards to editing my novel. I want to work on it - but I felt overwhelmed by it. Why? Because instead of breaking it into small chunks, I felt like I had this huge, mammoth project that I had to fix all at once. Not true, of course. I can work on it chapter by chapter - and that's exactly what I'm going to do.

Why this took me so long to realize, I'll never know. My last novel was such a mess - and I'd looked at it so much - that I didn't have any type of editing process in place. I just dived in, held my breath, and hoped I wouldn't drown. Unfortunately, that novel is languishing on my hard drive and I doubt it will see the light of day. It's got a lot of potential and I love my characters, but it's not there yet. Maybe someday I'll drag it out again.

Devon said something in the comments yesterday that stayed with me the rest of the day. "If you push the edits too soon "just to send it out", it won't be in good enough shape to make a hit with agents or editors." That's exactly what I've been doing - wanting to get the novel done ASAP so I can send it out. I suppose that's normal, but the novel won't be nearly as good if I focus solely on that goal.

Instead, I should be focusing on making my story the best it can be so that readers will enjoy it, will have a book that they can't put down, will have a story that will stay in their brains long after they've read it. That should be my goal - and I lost track of it.

Sometimes, I need a swift kick. And I think I just got it.

I constantly have to remind myself why I'm writing. It's not for the money (but that would be nice) or the glory or fame (which I really don't want) - but to tell a story, simple as that. We can get so caught up in the whole publishing game that we forget. I know that I need a gentle reminder every so often to get me back on track again.

What about you? Do you feel like you lose track of why you started writing in the first place?

Christmas Favorites!

Still no editing done on the novel yet - why am I so hesitant? Maybe I'm making this into a bigger beast than it's supposed to be. We'll see if I can't crack the shell of resistance tonight.

Now for a fun tag...

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?
I love hot chocolate! In fact, I had a cup for my morning breakfast and had some Monday night while curled under a blanket with a good book.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?
With our kids, Santa wraps the presents. Hubby even goes so far as to get different wrapping paper so it looks like it came from Santa. Our daughter still believes in Santa, but the stepson's been "wise" for a few years now.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?
We usually do the white icicle lights on the house but we did have blue lights one year. Haven't put them on yet for this season. On the tree, it depends.

4. Do you hang mistletoe?
Nope.

5. When do you put your decorations up?
I always make myself wait until after Thanksgiving. Strangely enough, I haven't been inspired yet to decorate, so the tree isn't up yet and neither is anything else.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish?
Homemade raviolis and butterball soup (the first dish is Italian, the second is German-from Russia). If anyone doesn't know what a butterball is, don't feel bad. It's a rather obscure food. But it's absolutely YUMMY.

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child:
Way too many! But here's one: Going to church as a child and listening to a lady sing "Oh Holy Night." It was a gorgeous rendition of the carol and I still think of it after all these years. I also love when we sing "Silent Night", the church is dark, and we're all holding candles.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?
Hmm...y'know, I don't think I ever truly believed in him. How sad is that?

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
Yes - at Grandma Lucy's house. Every. Single. Year. Part of our holidays tradition!

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree?
The last few years, I've tried to color-coordinate it. One year I had blue and silver, and last year I had burgundy and gold. I'll probably stick with that theme again this year. I also include all of my ornaments from my childhood and those my children have made.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it?
Love to look at it- hate to drive in it.

12. Can you ice skate?
Barely. I tried it once when I was in junior high. I remember falling a lot.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift?
I've had lots of favorite gifts over the years. I think a big one was the Cabbage Patch kid.

14. What’s the most important thing about the Holidays for you?
I love celebrating Jesus' birth, spending time with my family, the decorations, the spirit of giving - basically, and the whole atmosphere!

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert?
Ooh, tough one. I'd have to say frosted sugar cookies and a mug of cocoa.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?
I watch classic Christmas movies - a favorite one is Christmas in Connecticut with Barbara Stanwyck. But another favorite tradition is reading a book, cuddled under a blanket with a sugar cookie and a cup of cocoa, surrounded by all the Christmas lights and decorations, and listening to my traditional Christmas carols.

17. What tops your tree?
A star

18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving?
The whole receiving part has sort of waned through the years. I love to see the joy and anticipation when people open my presents to them.

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song?
This one is tough. I have lots of favorite Christmas songs. So I'll narrow it down to a few:
O Holy Night
God Rest Thee Merry Gentleman
I'll Be Home for Christmas

20. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum?
Yuck! Never did like them, but we'll usually put them on the tree.

The Battle Between the Head and the Heart

Last night I sat on the couch and read Ian Fleming's Casino Royale and had to look up at the t.v. every so often when my daughter wanted me to watch a certain scene from Ice Age 2: The Meltdown.

I should have been downstairs in my office editing my novel.

For some reason, I'm having a terrible time diving into those edits. I didn't start out that way, though. Remember the phrase "I'm having a blast editing my novel"? Wonder where that enthusiasm went.

Part of me is just plain tired from working all day (and writing and editing all day, since that is my dayjob) and then coming home and forcing myself to go work at the computer. It's hard, but I'm usually pretty successful at making the time. Last night, though, I just wanted to veg on the couch.

But it wasn't just the need to relax for an evening with a good book and a cup of hot chocolate - it was a deep reluctance to open the Word file and start slicing and dicing. I think I'm still close to the book to want to ruthlessly cut and chop the words that don't belong. But I've got to get out of that mode because I really want to get the novel edited, polished, and finished so I can start on the next one.

So, oh wise bloggers, do you have any words of wisdom?

Back from the Homestead

Had a wonderful Thanksgiving with my family and wish I didn't have to come back so soon. But that darn paycheck must be made and the kids have to get their education, I suppose. :-)

Ate some great food - the raviolis were superb!- had great conversation and even went to see Casino Royale again with my two brothers, my niece, and my dad. They didn't like it as well as me, but ah well, can't win 'em all.

I even managed to sit down with my manuscript and edit a bit while the kids were playing. My niece and nephew and my daughter had a great time playing together, and I really wish we lived closer than we do.

Right now, I'm trying to recover from that really really long drive. Thank goodness my brother came back with me - he drove the entire way. It's a 450 mile trip and it's pretty much a straight line down the interstate.

How was your Thanksgiving?

Homemade Raviolis, Here We Come!

On the left is my Grandma Lucy before she was married. She looks like quite the spitfire, doesn't she? :-)

We're headed to her house for Thanksgiving today. I'm taking off a little early (using a bit of vacation time) so that I can make the most of our time together. Most of my family still lives in western Nebraska and I anticipate we'll have lots of great visiting time ahead.

In our family, we have lots of great traditions and they usually involve food. My grandfather is 100% Italian and my grandmother is 100% German (from Russia). So we've had some interesting dishes over the years. But by far the most scrumptious and enduring tradition is the homemade raviolis. Since we also make our own Italian salami, we use that in our raviolis. Even after all these years, Grandma rolls out the dough, stuffs them with the yummy salami, and then takes the time to cook them. I actually cannot imagine Christmas Dinner or Thanksgiving without raviolis. I've had them since I was old enough to eat solid food!

Have a wonderful, safe Thanksgiving!

Highlights and a Bit of Writing

A few highlights from this weekend...

--Went to see Casino Royale and loved it. See the post below for just how much I loved it. (Daniel Craig is amazing. Had to say that again.)

--Got a clean bill of health from the eye doctor. Since diabetes really affects the eyes, I want to make sure I stay on top of it. No problems so far and my eyes have even improved - got me two new pair of glasses, though I wish they were contacts. Can't afford that right now, especially since I have to get a special kind since I'm allergic to the daily wear ones.

--My best friend came for a visit for the afternoon and we had a great time catching up. I only get to see her maybe once or twice a year, but it's just like we saw each other yesterday.

Now, on to the writing.

In the December issue of Writer's Digest, I found a kernel of golden wisdom from Elizabeth Sims who writes the Lillian Byrd Crime Stories. If you're having trouble starting a story or maybe even a chapter, go to your bookshelf, close your eyes and pick a book at random. Doesn't matter if it's fiction or non-fiction. Open the book to a random page, then open your eyes. Read the first sentence you see and make that sentence the basis of what you write next.

Intriguing, isn't it?

The Best Bond Ever?

In one word, Daniel Craig is brilliant. Casino Royale is perhaps the most perfect James Bond movie I have yet to see. Not for its action or its story, but for its in-depth portrayal of the character of James Bond. I found myself continually amazed last night in the theater as I watched Craig reveal more of Bond's character, digging deep into the man that has always come across the screen in various ways by the other Bond actors as comedic, cold-blooded, cool, at times silly, and polished, and has added an entirely different dimension to him.

Ian Fleming would be proud.

The theater was packed last night - no seats left. And as the ending credits rolled, people applauded. Yes, my friends, it was that good.

Daniel Craig has now firmly moved to my top two position as the Second Best Bond Ever. Sean Connery will always hold the top role, but I gotta tell you - I was wrestling with that particular designation all night. Craig just does an absolutely amazing job in portraying this character. He takes it to a level no other Bond-actor has ever done - including Connery.

Bold words? Perhaps. But if you're a Bond fan, go see the movie and judge for yourself.

Craig has my respect and my thanks for taking the Bond movies into an entirely different realm. I'm anxious to see the next installment.

On Writing and Bond

On Bond

Casino Royale opens today.











To say I'm excited would be an understatement.
I've been a Bond fan since I started watching the movies with my Dad in elementary school. Of course, I think Sean Connery will always be the Bond, but I've been pretty pleased with the other actors who've played Bond. I'd have to say that my list is as follows:

1) Sean Connery
2) Pierce Brosnan
3) Timothy Dalton
4) George Lazenby
5) Roger Moore
6) David Niven (I haven't seen the original Casino Royale, so that's why I'm putting David Niven at the bottom).

Why is Daniel Craig not on the list yet? Because I have yet to judge how he does in Casino Royale. Do I think he's in the running for the number two spot? You bet.

In the movie trailer, Craig looks like he's got the angst that Bond needs. Of course, Casino Royale is the "first" in the Bond adventures - Bond is just starting out in this 007 business. I'm anxious to see how Craig plays him.

The James Bond movies probably got me interested in the whole spy business. I love the gadgets and the undercover work. Of course it's glamorized, but hey, it IS Hollywood.

On Writing

I think I'm overwhelming myself with the editing process. There are so many things that the "experts" tell me I need to look for that I'm about ready to throw my hands up in disgust. No passive voice...theme...no excess -ly words...character development...ending the chapter with a hook...beginning the chapter with a hook...making sure I have conflict on every page...and on and on and on.

While some of these things I can catch pretty well, others are a bit more complicated. Hubby finished reading one of Vince Flynn's books last night and told me it was "amazing." I wondered, will my books ever be amazing? Will someone pick it up and not be able to put it down? I sure hope so. But self-doubt started to creep in last night. Then I had to smack myself (figuratively, not literally!). Vince Flynn is a NYTimes Bestseller and has several books under his belt. If I try to compare my writing to his, I'll worry so much that my creativity will cower under the bed.

So here's my question to you. Do you have any great self-editing techniques? And more importantly, do you like James Bond? ;-)

Tears of Joy

Last night, my daughter wanted to do her reading homework. I was ecstatic. But I was even more ecstatic when we practiced her spelling words and she got every one right. I had tears in my eyes and hugged her over and over. She was so proud of herself! And I was proud of her!!!

If you'll remember a few months ago, I blogged about my fears over my daughter's reading skills. She really struggled for awhile. But thanks to wonderful teachers and the Reading Recovery program, she is doing much, much better. In fact, tonight she picked a book off her shelf and said that she wanted to read it to me. How awesome is that?

In Writing News

I'm in the midst of the Great Agent Quest and have sent out several queries over the past week. We'll see if anything comes of them. I'm editing and trying to remember to have fun with the language. With that kind of perspective, it really makes a difference in my attitude. I'm hopeful that I can dive into the manuscript this weekend and really get to the nitty gritty of things. I'd love to take a day off, but unfortunately, we're short-staffed at work at the moment and I would feel too guilty about leaving. But I am taking an extra day's vacation for Thanksgiving, so maybe I'll get some writing done then.

Can You Ever Have Too Many Books?

Hubby is building a long row of bookshelves along our basement walls. They're going to replace one of our larger shelves that is stacked full of books and is not very stable. It was a freebie at a garage sale and the wood is warped. It's just a matter of time before the thing teeters over.

Now I'm faced with moving the books from that shelf over to the new one. Not a very daunting task, of course, but I'm wondering if I really need all those paperbacks. I can justify my history books by saying, "I'll need one of those for research someday" and that has happened on more than one occasion. But for all those paperbacks, I just have to wonder - will I ever read them all? Or would it be better to release them to the world?

I'm thinking I'm going to do some serious weeding over the next few days. Let's face it - there are books on that shelf that I am never going to read. Why keep them around? I think a used bookstore in town is going to be very happy with me in a few weeks.

Deep in Edit Mode

I'm having a blast editing my novel. I know, I know, it sounds crazy, but this is where I really dig deep into the story and capture what I want to do. Chapter One has been completely cut. Chapter Two is now Chapter One and the backstory eliminated (with Rene's kind help.) I'm pretty darn happy with how it's turning out and I really really wish I could take a few days off work to edit. There's something about delving into your story and becoming so immersed with it that you forget everything else.

I love to edit. I love to play with the language and come up with new, compelling phrases and imagery. I also am excited to try out some of the techniques in Between the Lines: Master the Subtle Elements of Fiction Writing that I bought while in Chicago.

In Other News...

I bought a pair of jeans in yet another smaller size yesterday - woo hooo!!! There's nothing like buying a pair of jeans a size smaller than you normally wear. I can't wait to go to Curves tonight and step on the scale. I haven't been there in over a week, so I'm hopeful I've lost at least another pound or two.

Also picked up a copy of Jeff Shaara's latest novel, The Rising Tide: A Novel of World War II - this is the first in a three-book series. I caved and bought it in hardback since I didn't have the patience to wait for it to come out in paperback.

All in all, a good weekend. And you?